EPHESIANS. 5: 25-31
Christ enacted the new covenant in His blood through His death, resurrection and ascension to redeem and to present to Himself the Church as His bride (Eph. 5:25). In the midst of the multiple implications and applications of this act of unconditional love to the entire human race, Scripture carefully draws attention to the parallels that Christ’s sacrifice for His bride (the Church) draws for husbands in their relationship with their wives (Eph. 5: 28). The traditional reaction to this passage is to emphasize the instruction that men love their wives as their own bodies, but further review of this passage shows that there is more depth to explore.
Christ’s example of a bridegroom (husband) starts from how he sees and values His bride which eventually translates into how He treats her. His decision that His bride (the Church) is worth the sacrifice of His life. His view of His bride is seen in His meekness and patience to cleanse her, adorn her with glory and present her to Himself, fully prepared to be everything He imagine her to be. The Christ example of a husband is one that takes the lead in giving, sacrifice, in service, to beautify, in perseverance and takes pleasure in bringing the best out of His bride (Eph. 5: 26-28). Christ embraced the identity of a foundation before that of a roof, a savior before a Lord and a giver before seeking to receive. This is the mandate for every husband that is born into the new covenant.
New beginning in our family will start when our home is modeled after Christ’s master plan with the men taking the lead. The mandate for husbands is that they embrace the example of Christ in the home to such extent that their wives and children are encouraged the more to grow in their relationship with God. The aspiration of every Christ-like husband must be to emulate Christ to the extent that his bride enjoys the reality of being married to Christ in her experience of being married to him.
Prayer Point: Lord I receive the grace to follow your example, to lead my home to experience your joy and peace in Jesus name.